Taipei, Feb. 22 (CNA) China has learned its lesson on how to react to provocation by Taiwan, which is why it has chosen to remain relatively mum on recent Taiwan-related issues, a Hong Kong political analysts said Wednesday in Taipei.
China has learned lessons through past experience and decided to stay calm and not to ruffle feathers after Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian said he would consider abolishing the National Unification Council and its Guidelines, said Willy Lam, a guest speaker at the monthly luncheon of the European Chamber of Commerce in Taipei (ECCT).
Lam previously worked with the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong and with CNN's Asia-Pacific headquarters. He is a Professor of China and Global Studies at Japan's Akita International University, while also a Senior Fellow at Jamestown Foundation, a Washington D.C. foreign policy think tank.
Concentrating on winning over all fronts in Taiwan will be China's main focus, Lam said. The U.S. sending a special envoy to Taiwan is the latest example of China's tactics, Lam said. China has waited for the U.S.' response before delivering an overly dramatic reaction.
China is implementing the idea of "Three Harmonies" -- peace, reconciliation and harmony -- advocated by Chinese President Hu Jintao in handling the Taiwan issue and international affairs, he said.
In addition to the Taiwan issue, the same mindset also applies to how China shapes new foreign policy.
"For China to continue its [economic] development, it knows it must ensure a peaceful environment. And they must pursue a good neighbor policy, " Lam said.
Beijing is also looking for a new relationship with the U.S., by becoming stakeholders in international affairs instead of "strategic
competitors," a term that current U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice used to describe U.S.-China relations several years ago.
China has used its influence in handling North Korea and Iran to seek better relations with the U.S. and prove its interest in
participating in international affairs, Lam said.
In trade and economic relations, Lam claimed that Beijing has come up with a Robin Hood-style of operating as it runs up a trade surplus with the rich countries while it increases investment and aid to the poor.
Hu has also replaced the "New Three Principles of the People, " which he advocated shortly after being named president three years ago, with the "Theory of the Three Harmonies," Lam said.